Occidentalisation of Beauty Standards: Eurocentrism in Asia

Beauty standards have long been set in place within society. However the origins of such beauty standards are a topic of discussion and frequently up for debate. Our paper takes a look into the origins, impacts, and implications of beauty standards within various regions of Asia, including Central Asian, South Asia, East Asia, and the Middle East and whether they can be linked to Europe and the Age of Exploration. We used an archival approach, looking into previous records regarding European colonization of Asia and popular folklores and figures. Our findings conclude that European colonization can very well be attributed to the beauty standards across Asia; for much of these regions, the ideal standard of beauty is heavily influenced by the ideal European figure, such as their light skin and light colored eyes. However, it may not be the sole contributor to said standards. Some of these standards were set and stone far before the Age of Exploration, and in modern society, what people see on social media may also affect their notion of what beauty standards are. Using our research and results, we hope to see how beauty standards affect modern day females and whether or not the understanding of the European beauty standard causes a clash in ideology against the beauty standard of said person's own culture.